


small bites (like we planned for tea but ended up planning for war)

by odoridango



Series: Tell It Like It Is [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: M/M, Pre-Relationship, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-16
Updated: 2014-07-16
Packaged: 2018-02-09 02:29:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1965546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/odoridango/pseuds/odoridango
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Are you hungry?"</p><p>Erwin and Eren eat breakfast in mess together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	small bites (like we planned for tea but ended up planning for war)

Eren is quiet and small in the wake of Hanji’s third experiment, tucked into a dark corner of the cafeteria with his crutch leaning against the wall. His curses echo slightly in the empty hall as he struggles to eat with his right hand; his left uniform sleeve dangles from his shoulder, collapsing strangely below his elbow, where Captain Levi had cut him out of his titan form.

“Jaeger,” Erwin says, as if he drops by the mess hall to talk to new recruits, even special ones, every day.

There’s a brief scramble as Eren hastens to make a proper salute, but Erwin waves him down, unconcerned, folds his bulk into the bench seat across from him.

“At ease,” he murmurs, allows Eren to make brief eye contact with him before taking a sip of coffee from his mug. The Commander’s eyes are quite strange, Eren thinks, not as blue as Armin’s, not as clear, not even steely the way Captain Levi’s can be, or stoic but determined like Mikasa. Reflective is what they are. Inscrutable, maybe. Either way, it’s strangely flattering to have the Commander’s attention on him like this, but it’s also incredibly nervewracking. Erwin barely ever joins the rest of the Scouting Legion for meals, and none of the members, much less the new recruits, really know what his schedule is like or what he does all day. Considering his position and the popularity of the Scouting Legion in general, Eren wouldn’t be very surprised if Erwin had deliberately arranged things to be that way.

So it is with some anxiety that Eren settles according to his Commander’s directive and resumes eating. But his nervousness obliterates his coordination and he fumbles with his utensils, watches with bitten lip, furrowed brow and scarlet cheek as his eggs persist in sliding off his fork and the toast refuses to be buttered. There’s a reason why he’s here so early by himself today, having taken an extraordinarily quick shower and hobbling to the mess hall to surprise and trouble Erd and Gunther for some extremely early breakfast. He doesn’t think his face can get much redder than this, and he feels the Commander’s intent gaze on his face as he gets another bit of tomato, egg and spinach on his fork. Every bite is a triumph.

“Here.”

Eren almost jumps out of his seat when the Commander reaches across the table with his own fork, scoops up a generous helping of omelette and offers it to him.

“There’s no shame in it,” Erwin Smith tells him, tells his pet titan shifter and new recruit, in the same solemn and serious tone he used to ask Eren that bewildering question on the grounds.

Eren would like to ask him what he knows of shame, what he knows of indignity and suffering, but he swallows his insubordination the same way he swallows his doubt. He can feel the stump of his right leg burning under the table, but it doesn’t heal, doesn’t smoke, and he doesn’t take Erwin’s fork like he’s expected to.

He keeps his eyes on the Commander as he leans forward and opens his mouth, watches those impassive eyes widen and fracture briefly in shock as he curls his tongue around the tines of the fork, closes his lips over the bit of omelette, sweeps it into his mouth and lets the full flavor spread on his tongue. Keeps staring as he chews, watches Erwin recover in an instant and offer him a meaningless smile. Why is he here?

But the Commander is made of sterner stuff than that; he calls Eren’s bluff and offers Eren another bite. Like an animal, like a baby bird, Erwin feeds Eren his breakfast bit by bit.

“You should eat something too,” Eren says quietly, tongue darting to the corner of his mouth, tastes the salt and savory that lingers there. “Sir.”

“Haven’t I though,” Erwin says, smooth and suave and untouchable, smelling like smoke, but where’s the fire?

Eren just glances blatantly at the Commander’s mostly full plate. “You should eat,” he repeats, stern.

“Is that an order?”

Eren stares at his Commander with wide-eyes, searches him for anger, for threat, but Erwin is a blank slate, and maybe Eren is nothing in this man’s eyes, maybe he is everything, a strategic boon or easy chesspiece, but Erwin says nothing and means nothing in his silence.

“Sir,” Eren says, and the title tastes like ashes in his mouth. “Please eat.”

“People eat when they’re hungry, don’t they?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Are you hungry, Eren?”

Erwin’s staring again, but so is Eren, and they can’t look away, challenging each other, interrogating each other, and Eren gets it, he does, Erwin checking in on his subordinate after physical trauma to make sure he’s still willing to play along, to make sure he’ll follow the plan and be good. The tension between authority and control, the danger there, the pain in his limbs—it’s almost delicious, something he could get high from, something that makes him feel powerful, that even down an arm and a leg he earns caution from this man, that he’s enough of a political threat or strong enough of a pawn to get this kind of individual attention.

Slowly, he shakes his head. “I’m not hungry,” he lies, can’t stop the way his eyes devour the shadow that plays across Erwin’s collarbones, or how Erwin’s hair is slightly ruffled, several strands falling handsomely across his face, those placid eyes that could be marbles for their reflective sheen, this statuesque soldier playing for keeps on a field burning at the edges.

Eren likes those odds.

“Sir, are you hungry?”

Erwin just smiles, and takes a couple bites of his breakfast.

“Ravenous.”

**Author's Note:**

> "is the more?" they said, and then eruren week came along and i thought, "well, fuck, let's have at it." Food and sex, that's my jam.
> 
> Day 1 prompt was first times. This is the first in the Tell It Like It Is series.


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